Bosh Wanting to Be 'The Man' in Free Agency

Bosh wanting to be 'the man' in free agency

Posted Jun 20 2010 11:56AM

Chris Bosh isn't waiting for some summit to determine his landing spot next season. The soon-to-be Toronto Raptors free agent is determined to chart his own course and forge his own identity apart from the star-studded field of peers also entering the open market.

"I don't want to be mentioned as an addition to a team," Bosh recently told NBA Entertainment. "I want to be mentioned as the guy that people want to center their team around."

Bosh is frequently mentioned as the bronze medal in the Free Agency Olympics headlined by LeBron James and Dwyane Wade. Bidders can do a lot worse than bronze. While the pairing of Bosh with one of his former Team USA teammates could form the foundation of a title contender, the 26-year-old power forward could just as easily strike out on his own.

Bosh's independent streak is a significant variable in a marketplace that so many assume will be dictated by LeBron. Bosh could be the first domino to fall if he decides to leave Toronto when free agency begins July 1, causing a ripple effect among the teams with significant cap space and those angling for a premier free agent through a sign-and-trade.

Unlike the situation facing James in Cleveland, Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo acknowledged that he would be agreeable to a sign-and-trade if a new deal isn't worked out with Bosh. Toronto's first priority is to re-sign its five-time All-Star and career scoring leader. The Raptors can offer a max contract of six years and $130 million.

"I want to hold onto that because I think every kid when they dream about playing basketball, they don't dream about being a role player. They dream about being the man. I have that position in Toronto and to give that up and go somewhere else to be an addition would kinda defeat the purpose of my dreams."

Previous reports have indicated a Houston interest. Bosh could be "the man" there as well (they are looking for a first option I believe). Any objective evaluation makes the Rockets a much better team than the Raptors and probably yields the best return in talent/assets in a s&t for Bosh.

This whole wanting to be the man complex is seriously altering my opinion towards his dedication to winning. On one hand I admire his honesty and willingness to be up front about his need to have his ego massaged. On the other hand I wonder how a person can be so self unaware and ignorant towards the past seven mostly failed years where he held reign over a generally underachieving franchise that had several face lifts, but never a face off.

I'm not sure if I want a player whose goals run perpendicular to that of his team and I am certain I don't want that player to be the leader and emotional center of my favorite franchise.

All great players need another great player to win. Jordan was "the man" for years before Pippen helped him become a champion. David Robinson needed Tim Duncan. While Shaq and Kobe argued over who was "the man" they still managed to win. Shaq went to Miami, hooked up with D-Wade and took a secondary role in the finals and won again. Kobe flirted with the idea of leaving L.A. until they brought in Gasol, who had been "the man" on a losing Grizzlies team. Chris Bosh was rushed into "the man" role when #15 gave up on the team & city. Bosh has "the man" stats and skills. He's improved every year, played his heart out every game and emraced Toronto. He's earned the right to proclaim himself "the man". He also stated that the team needs a player that can create shots for himself, this proves he is realistic about how far his talents can take the team. He's basically saying "I'm "the man" but I need some help". Ask LeBron if he wants help, ask Wade, ask Dirk. All of you ungrateful Raptors fans should be ashamed of yourselves.

Real men don't need other people to reaffirm thier manliness. You rarely hear the true alpha dogs lamenting the need for it to be all about them, Bosh is the Justin Timberlake of Alpha dogs. Winners don't concern themselves with meaningless titles, they worry about the only title that matters, World Champion.

Bosh is the ungrateful one, repeating the mistakes of Toronto stars past, forcing raptor management to sacrifice the goals of the franchise for his mysterious all star wing player. All so he can pull an Elton Brand and bail at the last minute for brighter lights.

Before Bosh rolls up on his next team and stakes his unearned claim to being the man, he should really work on being 'the teammate'.

I don't see why is wrong for CB4 to want to be the center of the team focus? Don't tell me that Wade/Stoudemire/LeBron would like to be second bananas, still they don't get the knock for that. I know people would say, CB4 is not as good as these guys, but hey ... there are 30 teams in this league and CB4 is a top 10 talent in NBA at this time.
Also, for all those that wants CB4 gone, just think what you wish: who is going to replace CB4 role? What makes you think that we are going to get a better player any time soon? And when we get one in few years by now ( be it DeRozan or the new draft), what makes you think he will stick around for longer than his predecessors? Raptors have to learn to keep their stars, not to run them out of town. At the right time, all you need is to put some more money and give CB4 the required help to run for a championship.